I Could Get Used To This
by paintthesilence
Summary: Short, AkuRoku oneshot. Roxas comes home! Axel's sink doesn't work! Rated T for mild language.


Disclaimer: Squenix owns them, I just play with them. XD

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gripping his keyblades tightly, Roxas pressed his back against the wall and narrowed his eyes. Having just returned from another of Xemnas's ridiculous missions, he was still a bit wary, and there were definitely noises coming from his bathroom. He heard what sounded like someone spitting and braced himself, throwing the door open and pinning the figure inside to the wall, his keyblade pressed firmly to the man's neck for a moment before he realized who it was.

"_Ahhh_! Justmejustmejustme calm down, calm down. Please?"

Roxas sighed, vanishing his keyblades and stepping back from the familiar redhead. Axel slowly lowered his hands, clutching his toothbrush with white knuckles and allowing himself to exhale as Roxas shuffled back out of the bathroom.

Roxas leaned against the counter in his small kitchen and pulled his gloves off, trying to ignore the ache that had spread through his muscles. Constant combat was not his favorite, especially since his partner on the mission had been Demyx, who was about as coordinated as a blind giraffe. The rain hadn't helped – it just made Demyx excited, thus distracting him even more than usual. He knew he would be finding new bruises in strange places for the next few days, and after spending the whole day out, he just wanted to be warm, dry, and comfortable.

"What are you doing in my bathroom?" he asked from the kitchen, leaving his boots on the floor and shucking his jacket off onto the counter.

"Water's not working in my room," Axel called back, his voice muffled by the sink. "I needed to brush my teeth."

This was not altogether very strange – the pipes leading to Axel's room were not well constructed, and the water in his room often didn't work. Before Roxas, Axel had always used Demyx's bathroom when he needed to, but the water there always seemed a little… jumpy. And since he and Roxas had become, well, friends, he preferred to use to the most normal water he could get. The two spent most of their free time together anyway, so it was never a big deal for him to hang out in Roxas's room.

Roxas pulled a bowl of mashed potatoes from his small fridge and put it in the microwave, stripping to his boxers while he waited and dropping his sweaty clothes into his laundry basket. Locating his favorite pair of sweatpants, he pulled them up until they hung loosely from his hips, the way he liked them. Not too tight, but tight enough to stay on. The microwave beeped loudly, and he took out his potatoes, carrying them to the couch with him to enjoy in complete comfort.

Axel finally emerged from the bathroom, wiping toothpaste from the side of his mouth.

"Ooh, mashed potatoes? Are they communal?"

Roxas held the bowl close to him protectively, licking the excess potato off the back of his spoon. "They're mine."

"Oh."

Unable to ignore Axel's visible disappointment, Roxas rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, then. But you can't have it all. I don't have any more."

Axel beamed as he plopped down on the couch beside him, plucking the spoon from Roxas's hand with his long, delicate fingers and taking world's biggest bite of mashed potatoes.

"Didn't you just brush your teeth?" Roxas asked, narrowing his eyes. "Wouldn't eating now completely defeat the purpose of brushing them in the first place?"

"Anything for mashed potatoes, Rox, you know how I am with carbs! Especially _your_ mashed potatoes. You make them, like, from scratch. With real potatoes. No messing around with Instant Potatoes or anything."

"I'm glad you like them," he grumbled, pressing his fingers to bridge of his nose in an attempt to stop his head from hurting so bad. "Just _had_ to rain today, didn't it?"

"I was wondering why you were wet. Where'd you get sent off to, anyway?"

"Hollow Bastion. As usual. Something about a stupid book. It rained the whole day. I've been soaked since like, 8:30 this morning. That's like… 13 hours. And on my feet the whole day, too. Fighting. Stupid fucking Restoration Committee."

Before Roxas could say any more, a soft, dry heat had enveloped him, and he found himself too tired to resist as Axel pulled him into his lap. Closing his eyes, he let the heat sink into his muscles, the fire wielder's hands gently massaging his shoulders. Axel smelled nice, like some sort of cinnamon-pear kind of thing, and Roxas wondered if he was using a new body wash or something. The smell of buttery potatoes soon overpowered the lighter scent, however, and Roxas opened his eyes to find the bowl back in his lap, still mostly full.

"You should have them," Axel said, running his fingers through Roxas's hair, drying it gradually with the heat. "It's comfort food, and I'm already comfy. I had the day off."

"It's fine," Roxas replied, holding the bowl up for Axel. "I don't need it. I'm comfy enough."

"You're wet and cold."

"I _was_. Not now, though."

Axel smiled, wrapping his arms tightly around the other boy's waist and pulling his back close against his chest. They stayed that way for a few minutes, neither feeling the need to speak, and Axel could feel the smaller boy's body slowly relaxing. Soon, though, the tantalizing smell of those potatoes became too much for Axel.

"If you're sure… Maybe just a little…"

"Mm…" Roxas murmured a wordless reply, his head falling back against Axel's shoulder as he drifted in and out of sleep. Axel gently shifted Roxas to sit more sideways across his lap, and by the time he finished the mashed potatoes, Roxas's breathing had slowed, his chest rising and falling softly and steadily as he slept. Placing the empty bowl back on the couch, Axel braced his arms beneath the boy's back and under his knees, standing up slowly to carry him to bed. Roxas let out a quiet sigh as Axel laid him down, and he snuggled against his pillow as the older boy spread the blankets over him. After pressing a light, chaste kiss to Roxas's forehead, Axel went back to the couch, washing out the empty bowl and leaving it on the drying rack beside the sink before heading for the door. He paused to slip on the flip-flops he had worn to walk the halls, and had a hand on the doorknob when he heard a plaintive voice from the bedroom. Well, bedroom area. Axel always liked to call their rooms "studios" in an attempt to make them seem like chic apartments, but in reality they were just small.

"Axel?"

Sticking his head around the dividers Roxas had put up around the bed, he raised his eyebrows. "Yea?"

"It's… It's just kind of cold. Do you… do you want to stay here, maybe? For the night? It-it might be cold in your room, too, and this way we can both be... er… both be warm…"

Slipping his shoes off again, Axel padded over to the bed barefoot.

"Of course," he said, a devilish smile playing across his lips as he climbed into bed alongside the blond. He was already in his pajamas from earlier (He often chose to spend his days off in his pajamas… While some may call this lazy, he simply preferred to be comfortable.), and while he wasn't particularly tired, he was sure he could come up with something to think about until he fell asleep. Roxas crawled closer almost immediately, finally resting with one arm sprawled across Axel's body, his head resting on the redhead's chest.

"So, you got a crush on me?"

Roxas looked up, blushing. "I-I'm just cold…"

"Uh huh. Cold."

Roxas didn't say anything, shivering slightly as Axel trailed a finger along his back.

"Get it?" Axel said, looking down at Roxas with a grin.

"Huh? Get what?"

"I was writing a message on your back. Weren't you paying attention?"

Roxas shook his head.

Sighing melodramatically, Axel rolled his eyes. "Jeez, fine. I'll do it again. Pay attention this time, though!"

Roxas nodded, focusing intently on the quick movement of Axel's finger along his back. When the redhead finally stopped, though, Roxas still had no idea what he'd been spelling. "What, are you writing in cursive or something? Just tell me, I'm not gonna get it this way. I'm too tired."

"That's no fun, though," Axel said, pouting. "I'll make it simple, ok? I'll stop after each letter and you can guess."

Roxas nodded, closing his eyes and focusing only on the feeling. After a few slow strokes, Axel stopped. "I?"

"Yea! Yea. Ok. The next one isn't a letter. But you'll get it."

"Axel, knowing you, it's gonna be a penis."

"Shut up! It is _not_."

Roxas laughed quietly. Once he felt the first half, he knew what it was. Not a penis. And suddenly, he knew what Axel was going to write, and it made him feel even warmer than he had before. _Feeling…_

"Rox. Rox, you're not guessing. Oh my God, are you asleep?"

"A heart," he said quietly, opening his eyes and looking up at Axel. "You… I know what you're writing. The next one is gonna say 'you,' right?"

Axel nodded. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Roxas sighed, snuggling his head against the older boy's chest again. "I'm sleepy," he said.

"Avoiding the inevitable conversation."

"I just wanna sleep now. Just be here. We'll talk in the morning."

Axel grumbled, but scooted down further in the bed so he could get fully under the blankets. "I still like you."

"We'll talk in the morning."

"Can I talk now? You don't have to listen. I just like to talk."

"Go to sleep, Axel."

"But I'm not-"

Roxas pulled himself up, planting a light kiss on Axel's lips mid-word and cutting his sentence short. Smiling mischievously, he settled back in where had been before, enjoying Axel's surprised silence. "Go to sleep, Ax. Or I'll never do that again."

"Wait… if I go to bed, then you'll… but… OK, if I go to bed, will you kiss me in the morning?"

Roxas sighed. "Yes, Axel."

"First thing? Right when you wake up? Even if I'm still asleep, you have to wake me up and do it, ok?"

"Fine."

Axel was quiet for a moment.

"Goodnight, Roxas."

"Goodnight, Axel."

Roxas let his eyes close, pleased with himself and sleepy. Axel was still, finally, and quiet, and Roxas was sure he was about to fall asleep…

"Hey Rox?"

"…"

"Roxas! …Rox, I know you're not asleep yet."

"What?" he grumbled, opening one eye to glare at the redhead, who was clearly still wide awake.

"Goodnight kiss?" he asked, failing to hide his excitement.

Roxas blinked slowly, then sighed, feeling Axel's toes curl as he sat up again to leave another light kiss on the older boy's lips. "Goodnight," he said, giving Axel a look. "For real this time. No more."

Axel lay back, grinning as he closed his eyes. "You know, I've liked you for kind of a while."

"Axel…"

"What?"

"You win, ok? I like you too. A lot. Different from the way I like green beans, or hot showers, or watching old reruns of Boy Meets World. I admit it, ok? Happy?"

Axel was quiet for a moment before he spoke, his smile audible in his words.

"What's a guy gotta do to get a little sleep around here? Jeez, Rox, I told you I was tired, and you just keep talking. Can't we sleep already? Let's just talk about this in the morning! God!"

Roxas grumbled and smacked Axel's arm, but he knew the redhead was finally satisfied. He realized as he drifted off to sleep that his hair had fully dried, and the heat radiating from Axel had relaxed his sore muscles enough to temporarily take away the pain.

_You know, I could really get used to this…_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Thanks so much for reading, and please leave a review to let me know what you thought!


End file.
